African Union backs map campaign showing Africa's true size

The African Union has joined a campaign urging global institutions to adopt a map of Africa that more accurately reflects the continent’s size.

The Mercator map, widely used since 1599, shows a version of Africa that has been distorted to appear significantly smaller on account of the globe’s spherical shape. The “Correct the Map” campaign promotes a version of the Earth that more accurately reflects its scale, even on a 2-D surface.

“It might seem to be just a map, but in reality, it is not,” AU Commission Deputy Chairperson Selma Malika Haddadi told Reuters, explaining that the map promotes a false idea that Africa is “marginal.”

The African Union’s endorsement of the campaign adds to its goals of “reclaiming Africa’s rightful place on the global stage,” Haddadi said, as many nations call for a global reckoning over the long-term effects of colonialism and slavery.